Overview: Singh provides an introduction to the widely used Metasploit framework in the form of seventy plus recipes for various penetration testing tasks. In a previous blog, I reviewed Dave Kennedy's Metasploit book. Both texts are well written. The format is different, however. Singh's book is written in a cookbook style which makes it easy to refer to it when attempting specific tasks. Kennedy's book is written in a more traditional style with an introduction and then survey of various aspects of Metasploit.

The differences between these two books extends beyond format. Singh's book goes beyond a basic coverage of Metasploit and covers additional penetration testing tools such as various scanners and evasion tools. So which book should you buy if you had to pick just one? To me it mostly comes down to personal preference. If you are just learning Metasploit, either should be a great aid in this process. If you want a book you can refer back to later, the Singh book may be slightly more convenient.

The publisher may also be a consideration. The Kennedy book is published by No Starch Press, whereas Singh's book is published by Packt. If you like eBooks you may prefer books from Packt Publishing. Packt provides DRM-free books in both PDF and ePub formats. This can be extremely convenient if you like to read your books on multiple devices. Personally I find myself reading books on my tablet and also keeping a copy on my penetration testing platform as a reference.